When Amitabh Bachchan ‘saved’ investigative journalist Hussain Zaidi from militiamen in Iraq after Saddam Hussein’s downfall: ‘I got kidnapped in Baghdad’

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Mentioning that helium was taken to a concealed determination where, erstwhile his blindfold was removed, helium recovered himself surrounded by bearded men, S Hussain Zaidi said that 1 among them, nonetheless, was clean-shaven and had agelong hair. “He asked maine if I was Pakistani. I said that I americium Hindi, from India. Then helium said thing successful Arabic which I didn’t understand. Later helium asked: Do you cognize Ameesha Bakkan? I said that the lone Ameesha I cognize is Ameesha Patel. He scolded maine existent atrocious that I didn’t cognize Ameesha Bakkan,” Zaidi said, adding that the irritated militiaman past near concisely and returned with a inactive from manager Ramesh Sippy’s Shakti (1982). “Suddenly it fell upon maine that this feline is copying Amitabh Bachchan from Shakti. That realisation made maine shriek with joyousness and that feline misunderstood that I americium friends with Ameesha Bakkan (Amitabh Bachchan). He past made maine constitute a enactment that if helium volition ever travel to Mumbai, I volition marque him conscionable Amitabh Bachchan. I agreed instantly and saved my life.”

Penned by Salim–Javed, Shakti starred Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar, Rakhee Gulzar, Smita Patil, Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Amrish Puri successful cardinal roles. It’s the lone movie wherein Bachchan and Kumar appeared together. Zaidi’s astir fashionable works see Dongri to Dubai: Six Decades of the Mumbai Mafia, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, Black Friday, My Name is Abu Salem and Mumbai Avengers.